Dead fish blanket lake in Vietnam’s Dong Nai Province
Tuesday, April 30, 2024, 10:09 GMT+7
The tranquil waters of Song May Lake in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam have turned into a distressing sight as hundreds of metric tons of lifeless fish float on its surface, unleashing a putrid stench that permeates the air, disturbing the neighborhood.
An official from the People’s Committee of Trang Bom District under the province confirmed on Monday that a mass die-off of fish had occurred in the lake.
Prolonged heat has caused the water level of in Song May to drop significantly, leaving many areas exposed. On the surface, masses of dead fish are washing up on the shore.
The dead fish were mainly grass carp, tilapia, and catfish.
Over the past few days, the area near the lake has been filled with unpleasant smell due to the decomposition of a large volume of dead fish.
“The smell of dead fish is disgusting, especially on such hot days. I hope local authorities will address the problem as soon as possible to protect the environment and ensure the quality of residents’ life,” said Cam, a resident of Binh Minh Commune.
Song May Lake spans Bac Son Commune, Binh Minh Commune, Song Trau Commune, and Trang Bom Town in Trang Bom District.
The water in the lake is used to irrigate hundreds of hectares of rice cultivation in Trang Bom and Vinh Cuu Districts.
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| Fish go belly up in Song May Lake in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: An Binh / Tuoi Tre |
A representative of the Military Command of Dong Nai Province, which is in charge of managing the lake, said that Dong Nai Irrigational Works Exploitation Company had been implementing a Song May Lake dredging and upgrading project since the start of 2024.
The firm proposed maintaining some one million cubic meters of water in the lake for fish, but owing to an unrelenting heatwave, the investor released the water into the downstream area, leading to the water level going down. As a result, fish died en masse.
Over 200 metric tons of fish were estimated to die off.
Though the firm has dispatched workers to the lake to remove the dead fish, the large area of the lake makes it tough for the clean-up.
Work on the Song May lake dredging and upgrading project began in January.
The project, slated for completion after 450 days, comprises dredging the lakebed, regulating water levels, and discharging floodwater.
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